In what has become an annual exercise, Congress passed a year-end tax and spending bill. As always, many little changes were made to the tax laws and put in a section called “Miscellaneous Provisions”.

One such provision extends the “age 50 rule” for certain federal employees.

This past summer, Congress passed HR 2146, a bill that allowed federal Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, Customs and Border Protection Officers, and Air Traffic Controllers, beginning January 1, 2016, to make penalty free withdrawals from the TSP if they retired in their 50th year of birth.

Additional “special category employees” have been added to the above occupations and will also be able to make penalty free withdrawals in their 50th year of birth.

Those positions are:

Nuclear Materials Courier

Member of the U. S. Capitol Police

Member of the Supreme Court Police

Diplomatic Security Special Agent of the State Department

Agencies can request to have John Grobe, or another of Federal Career Experts' qualified instructors, deliver a retirement or transition seminar to their employees. FCE instructors are not financial advisers and will not sell or recommend financial products to class participants. Agency Benefits Officers can contact John Grobe at [email protected] to discuss schedules and costs.